There has been an elected Lambeth local authority since 1856 when the
vestry of the
ancient parish of
Lambeth was incorporated under the
Metropolis Management Act 1855. The vestry served as one of the
lower tier authorities within the area of the
Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the
metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the
County of London. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into
metropolitan boroughs, each with a borough council, which saw the parish of Lambeth become the
Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth. The larger London Borough of Lambeth and its council were created under the
London Government Act 1963, with the first election held
in 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's two outgoing authorities, being the councils of the two metropolitan boroughs of Lambeth and
Wandsworth (the latter only in respect of the
Clapham and
Streatham areas that were to be transferred to the new Lambeth borough). The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished. From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the
Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance,
flood prevention, and
refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Lambeth) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and
refuse collection. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees. Lambeth became a
local education authority in 1990 when the
Inner London Education Authority was dissolved. In 1979, the administration of
Edward ("Red Ted") Knight organised the borough's first public demonstration against the Thatcher government. In 1985, the council joined other left-wing councils in a
rate-capping rebellion, although only Liverpool and Lambeth refused to set a legal budget. All 34 Labour councillors present voted on 7 March 1985 not to set a rate. On 9 September 1985 the district auditor for Lambeth gave notice that the delay in fixing the rates was wilful misconduct and so the councillors were required to repay the £126,947 costs as a surcharge. The amount per councillor was over £2,000 and therefore they were also disqualified from office. The surcharged councillors from Lambeth appealed against the surcharges. The High Court delivered its judgment on 6 March 1986, finding heavily against the councils; Lord Justice
Glidewell described the stance of the councillors as "mere political posturing";
Mr Justice Caulfield described the evidence of wilful misconduct as "crushing" and the councillors' stance as having "reached a pinnacle of political perversity". The councillors were disqualified on 30 March. In 1991, Joan Twelves' administration failed to collect the
poll tax and opposed the
Gulf War. During this period, Lambeth became known the archetype of what critics described as a "
loony left" council. Since 2000 the
Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the
English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions. In July 2021 the
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published a report that was highly critical of the council and which said serious abuse had been allowed to occur in five of Lambeth's children's homes between the 1960s and 1990s; over 700 children had suffered cruelty and sexual abuse, although the Inquiry believed that the figure was likely to be significantly higher. The Inquiry found that a "culture of cover-up" had led to the abuse continuing over decades; the Council made an "unreserved apology to the victims". which Lambeth accepted. In 2023, the
Housing Ombudsman opened an investigation into the council's housing provision following numerous incidents judged by the ombudsmen to be "severe maladministration" and stated they need to "radically improve".
Michael Gove, then minister for the
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, stated that the Lambeth Council's behaviour towards residents was "completely unacceptable" and fell below "the most basic level of decency" owed to tenants. Following further investigations, the Housing Ombudsman accepted that Lambeth had made improvements, but "too many residents" still get "an unacceptable service" from the council. Lambeth Council was also the first local authority housing provider to become the subject of an in-person inspection from the Housing Ombudsman over repeated failures to properly handle complaints from tenants and residents. In 2024, Lambeth Council was criticised for trying to force residents into
non-disclosure agreements when settling complaints from leaseholders overcharged for repairs, building works and service charges. In June 2024 the CEO of Lambeth Council, Bayo Dosunmu, was charged by the police with possession of a Class A drug, failing to stop after a road accident, driving above the proscribed alcohol limit and using a motor vehicle in a public place without third party insurance. He subsequently resigned from his £190,000 a year job. Subsequently, in July 2024, the Director for Adult Social Care at the Council, Fiona Connolly became the Acting Chief Executive. In December 2024, Lambeth Council’s Appointments Committee has recommended that Ian Davis, formerly the Chief Executive of
Enfield Council, be appointed as the council’s new Chief Executive. ==Governance==